Once there, he had false identity documents made for her and "locked her overnight in a garage to prevent the victim from fleeing".

"Over the course of the following months and years, Garcia repeatedly told the victim her family had given up looking for her, and if she tried to go back to them, the family would be deported," the statement said.

They moved several times to avoid police detection.

"Garcia frequently physically and sexually assaulted the victim," police said, adding that he arranged for the pair to work nights for a cleaning service "so he could keep a close eye on the victim".

"Even with the opportunity to escape, after years of physical and mental abuse, the victim saw no way out of her situation and lived a life with Garcia under sustained physical and mental abuse," police added.